France · Live without working
France Long-Stay Visitor Visa
Looking to retire in France, or live there on your own resources without working? The long-stay visitor visa is that route — we prepare and coordinate the whole file for you, from €2,400.
from €2,400
Independent immigration advisers — not a government service, not affiliated with any consulate. Our service fees do not include consular fees.
The long-stay visitor visa (visa de long séjour « visiteur ») lets a non-EU national live in France on their own resources without taking up work in France. Approved, it becomes a VLS-TS — a long-stay visa with the value of a residence permit — which you then renew each year as a carte de séjour visiteur. We do it for you: eligibility, the resource and insurance file, apostilles and sworn translations, and coordination of the submission.
One term trips people up. A VLS-T is a temporary long-stay visa that cannot be renewed on the spot; a VLS-TS carries resident status and is the visitor route. We make sure you apply for the right one.
Retire in France — this is the route
France has no visa literally called a “retirement visa”. The visitor visa is what people mean: it is built for those who live on a pension, investments, rent or savings and will not work in France. If you are planning to retire in France from the US, the UK or Canada, this is the file we prepare.
Living in France without working
This is the route for moving to France without a job — a sabbatical year, early retirement, or simply living in France on savings and passive income. The file is the simplest of the French routes, but it still has to convince a consul, and that is a craft: the funds have to read as real and lasting, not just present on the day.
France has no digital nomad visa
France has not introduced a remote-work or “digital nomad” visa, and none is announced. For people who want to live in France while their income comes from abroad, the visitor route is the legal structure — within the limits below.
Remote work · clarified June 2026
In a written parliamentary answer published in June 2026, the Ministry of the Interior indicated that remote work for an employer abroad — with no activity for a company on French soil — may be treated as “non-active” under French law, and therefore compatible with visitor status. This is a migration reading, not a tax one: spend 183+ days a year in France and you become a French tax resident, liable to declare worldwide income. We confirm the current interpretation for your specific case with our lawyer before you rely on it — no promises.
What the consulate actually weighs
The real question is not “do you have money” but “will this person genuinely live here without working, and do the funds truly last.” A lump sum on a bank statement does not answer it. So the deliverable is a financial-sustainability dossier: resources aggregated and verified, mapped against a real French cost-of-living budget, source of funds explained, durability shown across the years you intend to stay — the same financial discipline behind a founder’s forecast, turned to proving you can simply live here.
Resources At least the French net minimum wage — about €17,700/year per applicant for 2026, reviewed annually. We confirm the current figure for your case at the consultation.
What your file has to prove
- Resources at least equal to the French net minimum wage, proven and durable — income, savings, or both
- Accommodation in France for your arrival
- Long-stay health insurance valid in France for the whole stay, covering care and repatriation
- A clean criminal record, apostilled and sworn-translated where required (see your nationality below)
- Sworn translation (traduction assermentée) of foreign documents into French
- A signed undertaking not to carry out professional activity in France
Eligibility check
Find out whether this route fits you.
Not legal advice — a practical filter for citizenship, income, family and timing. A couple of minutes, no sign-up.
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Your answers help us suggest a suitable route. We treat them as confidential — see the Privacy Policy.
Question 1 of 7
What is your citizenship?
Bringing your family
Family members have no derivative status on the visitor route — each person applies on their own grounds and shows their own resources. We plan the household as a set of files that stand together, so no one is the weak link.
How the process runs
- france-visas — the application is built and lodged through the government portal.
- Consulate / VFS / TLScontact — biometrics and documents at the visa centre for your country.
- Validate the VLS-TS — within three months of arrival you validate the visa online (ANEF) and pay the residence tax.
- Renew each year — the carte de séjour visiteur is renewed annually at your prefecture while conditions hold.
Pricing
A published fixed fee for preparation and coordination.
from €2,400
One applicant — full preparation & coordination.
+€1,025 spouse · +€1,025 first child · +€500 each additional child.
Each family member files their own dossier; the add-on is the fixed fee for it.
Timeline: Dossier preparation 4–6 weeks; consular processing varies by post. You validate the visa within 3 months of arrival.
Independent private consultancy — not affiliated with any government. This is a fixed fee for preparation and coordination. Government and visa-centre fees are paid separately, directly to the state or its provider. The consulate and prefecture alone decide the outcome. Sworn translations and apostilles are billed separately, per document.
Prefer to study the details first? Get the program brief by email
Your team
Who prepares your file
Behind them, a local bench — a lawyer for legal review, a chartered accountant, and sworn translators.
Meet the full team →By nationality
The route is the same for everyone; the criminal-record certificate and its legalisation differ.
For US citizens
The paperwork Americans underestimate is the police check: an FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille from the US Department of State, then a sworn French translation. Retirees should have pension, Social Security and investment statements ready as the resource evidence.
For UK citizens
Since Brexit, UK nationals apply on a non-EU footing. The police certificate is usually an ACRO certificate, apostilled by the FCDO. Pension and savings statements evidence the resource test.
For Canadians
Canadians provide an RCMP criminal-record check, apostilled — Canada recently joined the Apostille Convention, which simplified legalisation. Provincial documents may need their own steps.
For Russian citizens
Russian applicants provide a criminal-record certificate (справка о несудимости) from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (МВД), apostilled and then sworn-translated into French — Russia is a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille, not consular legalisation, is what France expects. Civil and financial documents are likewise apostilled in Russia and translated by a sworn translator into French.
Other non-EU passport? The core requirements are the same — the eligibility check flags anything specific.
Want to build or run a business in France instead of living on your resources? That is the Talent Passport route — take the eligibility check and we will point you the right way.
FAQ
Answers in the words you searched.
How much income do I need for a France visitor visa?
Broadly, stable resources at least equal to the French net minimum wage — about €17,700 a year per applicant for 2026, reviewed annually — proven and durable across the time you intend to stay. Sources vary and the figure moves with the minimum wage, so we confirm the current number for your case at the consultation.
Can I use savings instead of a monthly income?
Often, yes. What the consul weighs is not a single number but whether your resources are genuine, sufficient and durable. We build a financial-sustainability file that aggregates income and savings, maps them to a real French cost-of-living budget, and shows the funds last.
What health insurance do I need?
Full private cover valid in France for the whole stay, including repatriation, before you file. We coordinate a compliant policy so it is not the thing that holds up your file.
How long does it take?
Preparing the dossier is typically 4–6 weeks. Consular processing time depends on the post and season. After arrival you validate the long-stay visa online within three months. Authority timelines are theirs, not ours.
Can I renew the visitor visa?
Yes — the visitor status is renewed every year at the prefecture, as long as you still meet the conditions. It is an annual renewal; there is no multi-year visitor card. After five years of continuous, documented residence, longer-term options may open.
Can I work remotely while on a visitor visa?
The status forbids professional activity in France for a French employer. How remote work for an employer abroad fits this rule was clarified in June 2026 — see the note on the page. It is a nuanced, case-by-case question we confirm with our lawyer before you rely on it; and living 183+ days a year in France makes you a French tax resident.
Can I bring my spouse and children?
Family members have no derivative status on the visitor route — each person applies on their own grounds. We plan the household as a set of files, not one, so everyone qualifies in their own right.
What happens after five years?
Continuous, well-documented visitor residence builds the record that longer-term cards rest on. New for 2026, multi-year and long-term cards can require a civics and French-language test — we flag what applies to your plan early.
Start here
Check your eligibility and talk through your case.
Take the short check and book a free consultation. If your case fits, we move to preparation.
- Step 01 Eligibility check
- Step 02 Free consultation
- Step 03 Dossier build
- Step 04 Visa & residence card